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SACRAMENTO – The California Department of Public Health on May 12 announced the most recent statistics on COVID-19. California now has 69,382 confirmed cases and 2,847 deaths.

Testing in California

As testing capacity continues to increase across the state, the California Department of Public Health is working to expand access to COVID-19 testing. Testing should be used for medical evaluation of persons with symptoms of COVID-19 as well as for efforts by public health agencies and essential employers to prevent and control the spread of COVID-19. Individuals prioritized for testing include:

Hospitalized patients

Symptomatic and asymptomatic healthcare workers, first responders, and other social service employees

Symptomatic individuals age 65 and older or symptomatic individuals of any age with chronic medical conditions that increase the risk of severe COVID-19 illness

Individuals who are tested as part of disease control efforts in high-risk settings

Asymptomatic residents and employees of congregate living facilities when needed to prevent disease transmission

Symptomatic and asymptomatic individuals in essential occupations such as grocery store and food supply workers, utility workers and public employees

Other individuals with symptoms consistent with COVID-19

As of May 11, 1,033,370 tests have been conducted in California and reported to the California Department of Public Health. This represents an increase of 41,473 tests over the prior 24-hour reporting period. These numbers include data from commercial, private and academic labs, including Quest, LabCorp, Kaiser, University of California and Stanford, and the 25 state and county health labs currently testing. The Department is now reporting all tests reported in California, rather than the total number of individuals tested.

New Data Portal

The state has launched a new, user-friendly data portal at update.covid19.ca.gov that tracks COVID-19 cases statewide and by county, gender, age and ethnicity. The portal also outlines statewide hospitalizations and testing efforts. The data presented on the portal will be updated daily and will include additional information as it is available.

Racial Demographics – A More Complete Picture

The California Department of Public Health is committed to health equity and collecting more detailed racial and ethnic data that will provide additional understanding for determining future action. Health outcomes are affected by forces including structural racism, poverty and the disproportionate prevalence of underlying conditions such as asthma and heart disease among Latinos and African American Californians. Only by looking at the full picture can we understand how to ensure the best outcomes for all Californians.

The differences in health outcomes related to COVID-19 are most stark in COVID-19 deaths. We have nearly complete data on race and ethnicity for COVID-19 deaths, and we are seeing the following trends. Overall, for adults 18 and older, Latinos, African Americans and Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders are dying at disproportionately higher levels. The proportion of COVID-19 deaths in African Americans is about double their population representation across all adult age categories. For Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders, overall numbers are low, but about three-fold difference between the proportion of COVID-19 deaths and their population representation. More males are dying from COVID-19 than females, in line with national trends. More information is available at COVID-19 Race and Ethnicity Data.

Health Care Worker Infection Rates

As of May 11, local health departments have reported 7,274 confirmed positive cases in health care workers and 39 deaths statewide. As data is updated the information is re-evaluated. In this instance, the number was adjusted accordingly and decreased by one.

How People Can Protect Themselves and Others

Every person has a role to play. Protecting yourself and your family comes down to common sense: